Foot exercising device



Feb. 20, 1962 c. E. MALONE Er AL 3,022,071

FOOT EXERCISING DEVICE Filed Aug. 13. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fiat.

Fiat.

INVENTORS CARL E. MMoNE BY James W. DICKEY, JR.

Feb. 20, 1962 c. E. MALONE ETAL 3,022,071

FOOT EXERCISING DEVICE Filed Aug. 13. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fiab.

1N VENTOR.S CARL E. MALONE BY JAME: W.D\CKEY,JR.

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AT'raRNEY United States Patent 3,022,071 FOOT EXERCISING DEVKIE Carl E. Malone, 2281 SW. 33rd Way, and James W. Dickey, Jr., 11 SW. 16th St, both of Fort Lauderdale,

Filed Aug. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 833,540 7 Claims. (Cl. 272-57) This invention relates to exercisers and more particularly to persons who are unable to walk, being confined to bed either by illness or following an operation. At such time patients are particularly subject to thrombophlebitis resulting from inactivity in bed. The instrument of this invention will allow a prescribed amount of exercise to be carried out by the supervision of nurses or attendants at regular intervals and in an exactly controlled manner. The instrument can be used when the patient is lying in bed or sitting in a chair. It has the advantage that it can be regulated for very feeble persons capable of only limited movement or it can be used for the very active who are capable of strong movements. It requires no skill for its supervision or operation and can be put in position in a matter of minutes by untrained personnel.

This exerciser is designed primarily to promote circulation of blood and lymph through the entire lower portion of the body including the legs and internal organs. It has been shown that active motion of the legs increases the flow of lymph through the liver by 80% or more, that lymph flow in the legs is increased from G to a normal amount and that the flow of blood is increased out of the legs by increasing the pressure up to 80 cm. of Water or more. The vein in the calf of the leg is surrounded by muscles and when the muscles are used to activate the foot in either walking or using this exerciser, blood is pumped from this segment of vein up toward the heart by venous valves. The above is the background of the physiological action of this instrument.

The construction of the device of the invention and the manner through which the desired results are secured will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein,

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the device of the invention, parts broken away,

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation thereof,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view and,

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. As this description proceeds, it will be seen that this device comprises a pair of pedals each capable of movement independent of the other and each capable of having a varying degree of tension applied thereto. The purpose of this is to render it possible for one extremity of the body such as a foot and leg to be exercised to a degree independent of the other and in accordance with the instructions of the physician. It will also be seen that the device embodies a counter upon which may be registered the number of operations of each pedal so that the doctor or nurse may be kept apprised of the extent to which the patient is receiving the degree of exercise that has been prescribed by the physician. Referring now to the drawings, 5 designates a base which may be of wood or other suitable material. A bearing plate comprises a horizontal bottom portion that is secured to the base 5 and upstanding end portions 6. A shaft '7 is fixedly supported in said upstanding end portion. A pair of pedals 8 and 9 are mounted for rocking or tilting movement upon the shaft 7 through the medium of plates 12 which project rearwardly and are affixed to said pedals. A pedal stop 13 limits the inward movement of the heel portions 14 of the pedals. Floatingly mounted springs 15 are connected at 16 to the rear faces of the pedal and at a point adjacent the heels thereof. The other ends of said springs are connected by their hook-like portions 17 and pins 18 with short links 19. These short links are pivotally connected at 20 to intermediate portions of relatively long links 21. The lower ends of the links 21 are pivotally connected at 22 to fixed bearings 23 upon the plate 6. The upper ends of the links 21 are pivotally connected at 25 to links 26. These links 26 extend toward the rear faces of the pedals and their ends 27 adjacent said pedals are arranged to slide vertically in the slot provided between the pairs of rearwardly extending plates 28. Pins 29 extend transversely of the links 26 and these pins project far enough beyond the side faces of the links 26 to engage in slots 3% an 31 of the plates 28. Thus, the links 26 may be shifted from the full line position to the dotted line position in FlGURE 1 and when in the full line position, more tension is imposed upon the spring 15 by a rearward thrust against the upper portions $a of the pedals than is the case when these links have been shifted to the dotted line positions shown in FIGURE 1, thus, each pedal may have imposed thereon varying degrees of tension. When the upper portions of the pedals are moved toward the right in FIGURE 1, the movement toward the right of the links 21 exerts a pull toward the left upon said springs. Consequently, it may truly be said that these springs are floatingly mounted and that they are capable of imposing greater or less resistance to the swinging movement of the pedals according to the setting of the links 26. The plate 6 carries an upstanding bracket 33, which bracket has secured to its left hand face in FEGURE 1, a conventional counter mechanism The operating shaft 35 of this counter is actuated by a crank 35. The crank arm 36 is actuated by a link 37, said link 37 being pivoted at 38 through one of the plates 12 which projects rearwardly from the pedal 9. This same crank arm is actuated from the other pedal 9, through the link 39, crank arm 40, small counter shaft 41, crank arm 42 and link 43 thus, the movement of either pedal is registered upon the counter. The counter is provided with a reset button 44 by which it may be set back to zero after a determined period of operation of the apparatus. This capacity of the counter to be operated by either pedals independently of the other, is achieved by the provision of a slot and pin connection 45 between the link 37 and the crank 36.

It is possible to use the structure so far recited as a floor stand for persons having poor ambulatory capacity and who are seated in chairs however, we also contemplate the use of the device by patients who are confined to the bed and for that purpose, the device may be made to include an uustanding wall 46 which carries conventional clamps 47 by which the structure may be supported upon the foot board of a bed with the pedals facing away from the foot board and consequently toward a patient lying in the bed. Since many ways will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art of providing an exerciser of this general character, the upstanding wall 46 may be connected to the base 5 through the medium of a slotted bracket 48 and set screw 49. This arrangement renders it possible to vertically adjust the exerciser with respect to the foot board of the bed so that the exerciser may be permitted to slide down to a position where it will be in relatively close alignment with the mattress of the bed. This brings the pedals to the position where the patient may press upon them with his feet While the body is in a normal and unstrained position.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but that it includes prising a base, a pair of upstanding end plates carried by 'the base, a horizontal-shaft supported by the end plates,

a pair of pedals disposed side by side, eachpedal being mounted for pivotal movement'about said'shaft, each of said; pedals comprising a relatively flat elongated upstanding face portion-and a lower forwardly projecting heel portion, means for limiting inward movement of the heel portionsof the pedals, floatingl mounted springsone endof which are connected with the heel portion of itscompanion pedal and tending'to draw said pedal toward its limiting means, connections between said springs and the rear portions of the pedals at points materially above the pivot points of said pedals, said connections comprising elongated links, the lower'ends of which are pivotally connected to said base andthe intermediate portions of which are connected to the upper ends of said springs and additional links pivotally connected to the upper'ends of the last named links and projecting toward the rear faces of said pedals and members carried by the rear faces of the'pedals with which the forward ends of the said additional links engage to thrust the upper portions of the pedals forwardly.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1' wherein the last named additional links are" constructed to engage said members at a plurality of points in their height whereby to exerta varying degree of tensioned'resistance to the rear movement of the upper portions of the pedals.

3. A structure asrecited in claim 1 in combination with means for'supporting said structure upon the foot board a pair of spaced members projecting from its rear face and in such close relation as to leave substantially a guide slot between them, notchesformed in the rear edges of the members at the upper and lower portions thereof, means for limiting inward swinging movement of the lower portions of the pedals, springs connected at one end to the lower portions of the pedals. and that tend to move the lower portions of the pedals toward, their. limit-. ing means, elongated links pivotally connected. at. their lower ends to said base and at an intermediate portion in their height to. the other ends of saidsprings, additional links pivotally connected to the upper. ends of the elongated links which project toward the rear faces of the pedals and into said guide slots, transverse pins carried by the forward ends of the last named links which project eyond said links far enough to engage inthe notches at the upper and lower portions of the-slots transversely.

5. A structure as recited in claim 4 in combination with a counter mechanism and means for independently actuating a counter mechanism by each of the pedals;

6. A structure as recited'in claim 4 in combination with means adapted to support the structure upon the foot board of a bed.

7. A structure asrecited in claim 5 in combination with means adapted to support the structure upon the foot board of a bed, said supporting means being constructed to permit the vertical shifting movement of the whole structure with respectto a" foot board upon which it is supported.

ReferencesQited in theme of this patent. UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,509,793 Thompson Sept. 23, 1924 2,111,891 Glamos ,Mar. 22, 1938. 2,374,730 Catlin May 1, 1945- 2,398,122 Souza Apr. 9, 1946 2,645,482 Magida July 14, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 227,726 Germany Oct.26, 1910 227 Great Britain 1902 

